Young Theologians Society

so, a few days ago i began a post on entitlement. i eventually deleted it because of my lack of clarity in thought and brevity in speech. however, i will again attempt this inegma and most likely botch it up.

It seems that I occasionally run into young (i use this word as if i'm not in this category...) leaders (or want-to-be's) fresh out of college or seminary that have the attitude we used to describe in elementary school as 'know-it-all'. I love hearing them declare that they want to be 'senior pastors', plant 'mega-churches', and many other useless phrases in seeking personal gain. young leaders often don't say, "i want to learn from the best, work hard, give my life -- and maybe God will use me." But is the older generation saying this too? i doubt that many of the young guys would agree that they embrace this thought, and i myself would probably disagree that i embrace that thought -- despite often reoccuring attitudes and opinions that surface from my conversations. Part of it is this sense of entitlement, often claimed to embody this young generation... one that expects what they haven't earned. Though i may express thoughts or opinions doesn't mean i'm less teachable... in fact, i may even mean i am MORE teachable than many of my counter-parts. how is that (you ask)?

Because teachability begins by asking questions. When we begin to simply accept things without contest and are no longer critical (no... not negative, critical -- look it up) thinkers; we have lost our edge to be teachable. in fact, i concur that the more unteachable groups are the ones demanding for their cheese not to be moved. I love what my friend says, 'People think we [Christians] are weird, because we are.' If you're looking around your denomination or conventions meetings, and you could take a picture of that room home to your neighbors, and they 'might' think that pic was taken 15-20 years ago -- then yeh, we might be stuck in a rut.

so, what do we do with many of these guys who feel they are 'entitled'?
Here's how i feel we can effectively use these young leaders.
1. Harness their passion. use it for good. If you fight, they will fight back. Dont' be surprised to see this. History proves that oppressed people are often fueled by a rebellious passion that can often be reckless (also see a cool movie on this subject titled 'braveheart'). So, why do we fight them? Let's harness that energy and use it for good. our denominational mission centers shouldn't hire young guys to mop floors, lets hire these guys to put our finger on the pulse of culture and the church community -- and filter these suggestions with years of experience and wisdom.
2. Lead by example. Of course this should be the goal in any case, but especially in this one. How do you want the 'young' guys to act? Remember that old commercial where the father found pot in his sons room, to which the son cries with an empassioned tear "i learned it from watching you Dad!". In SBC life, the conservative resurgence came about by a graassroots movement to see the convention focus on theology... now there appears to be the same in regards to missiology -- both are (and were) repressed by the current leaders of the day.
3. Pass on a teachable spirit. Should we expect them to become teachable if we aren't? We (collectively) have to remain teachable if we EVER want to see the same reflected in those under us. My jock friends know what movie this line comes from: "Attitude reflects leadership, captain." If we prove ourselves to become more teachable, i think we will see other generational
4. Recognize young guys who embody a healthy, Biblical mindset and are effective in their ministry. Even if you disagree with their methods (and those methods don't contradict Scripture... and keep in mind that Jesus never spoke from a pulpit that i know of. If we see young leaders embracing strong theology fueled with a strong missiology -- lift them up, encourage them. Don't just give them the complimentary head nod and move on.

to a point we are ALL entitled to fulfilling our mission in life with God. No matter what He calls us to, we can't wait on our grandparents to start embracing new ideas, but we can honor their past ministries and thank God that it was them who brought us here -- and continue to move forward.

I know this may not have any ripple, but it helps me to get some thoughts out there.